Although the development of CBPR has been accompanied by growth in empirical studies on the operations and impacts of CBPR programs, there are few studies that evaluate the effectiveness of CBPR programs. Weaving an Islander Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (WINCART) initiative is based in Southern California. The goal of WINCART is to decrease cancer disparities among Pacific Islander communities by connecting community-based organizations (CBOs) and academic institutions that work in cancer education, research, and training. Can community-based outreach activities increase links between CBOs and academic researchers? This paper describes a 2-year study that employed social network analysis to assess the effectiveness of WINCART by measuring degrees of communication, collaboration, client referral, and formal agreements among organizations. 147 people from 11 CBOs and 5 universities were interviewed. Results revealed that “CBOs increased their connectedness with one another (b= 0.44; P < .05) and to the universities (b = 0.46; P<.05), but that university researchers did not increase their connectedness to each other or to CBOs” (Valente, 1319). This research not only demonstrates how a community-based program can improve communication between CBO’s, but that social network analysis is a credible evaluation method for CBPR programs.

Valente, Thomas W. et al. (2010). A network assessment of community-based participatory research: Linking communities and universities to reduce cancer disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 100(7), 1319-1325.